Erin Chaparro & Her Many Facets
The self-described "reluctant farmer" straddles two worlds: academia and farming
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Growing up in Orange County, California with her younger brother, father (who was born in Mexico and raised in the United States) and mother (second generation Mexican-American), Erin Chaparro always knew she’d have to prove anyone who underestimated her wrong. Very wrong. But she never dreamed that she’d end up living on a farm, much less loving it.
For college, she decided to spread her wings and travel as far away as she (and her family) could handle, which ended up being Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. From there, she earned her Masters and PhD in education and psychology from the University of Oregon in Eugene, where she also met her future husband and partner-in-farming Jeremy Hall. Since 2018, she’s split her time between academia and perry making at Blossom Barn Cidery, a 15-acre farm located in Grants Pass, Oregon. These two endeavors are difficult and time-consuming in themselves, both requiring a lot of skill, practice, and patience. How does she do it all? Let’s find out.
When it comes to harvesting pears and making perry in an area known almost exclusively for wine grapes, “people definitely do not know what we’re talking about,” Erin laughs. Perry is a notoriously fickle subset of cider (which is in itself a subset of wine), made with the fermented juice from pears rather than apples or grapes. It’s as difficult to harvest and ferment as it is easy to enjoy, and has yet to catch on in mainstream American consumption.
But consumers’ general oblivion about the delicate beverage doesn’t scare Erin. In fact, educating people is her specialty.
Blossom Barn’s tasting room is located on the Applegate Valley Wine Trail, home to around 20 wineries, several of which are right down the road from them. “So many people in this area really just want to drink wine,” she says, but few of them are familiar with cider and even fewer know about perry. She feels they have an opportunity—if not a responsibility—to introduce people to the magical beverage.
That opportunity presented itself a few years ago, when Jeremy’s parents announced that after 20 years of maintaining a sheep farm, they were ready to sell.
“When that happened, Jeremy and I knew it was such a beautiful property. It would be a shame to lose it,” she says. The land called to them, but what about their existing careers? What on earth would it mean to transition to a new place and launch a new business?
After a lot of thought and a hefty dose of “why not?” Erin and Jeremy acquired the property and began to split their time between Grants Pass and Eugene until 2020, when they moved full-time to the farm. Jeremy now works solely at Blossom Barn Cidery, and Erin splits her time between her position as a Research Associate Professor at the University of Oregon's Educational and Community Supports Research Center and working at the tasting room—which is on the farm’s property—on weekends.
But before there was Blossom Barn or even pear trees planted, Erin wondered: what type of farm would set them apart? The pair didn’t want to commit to water-intense crops like hops or lavender, but had been introduced to perry a few years prior and loved it. Plus, the state fruit of Oregon is pear, and the perfect pears found in the iconic Harry & David gift baskets are grown in nearby Medford. It was an ideal crop to pay homage to the land, stand out from the myriad nearby wineries, and maintain their commitment to sustainability.
Even with all signs pointing to perry as her destiny, Erin initially felt skeptical about their ability to maneuver such a profound life change. “I thought ‘Do we have the skills to do this?’” she recalls. She had worked for years to build a robust career in academia. Would she have to leave that world behind? Could they work together as a couple? Would this venture even work?
The answer is a resounding yes—thanks in part, rather than despite, her experience teaching. “I've had a successful career conducting research and education to understand what works, and how to help schools and teachers and students improve what they're doing,” Erin explains. These self-evaluation skills translated perfectly into launching Blossom Barn and keeping it going.
Today, the pair produces around 7,000 gallons of perry annually, with the expectation of small, steady growth. An increase in output begs the question: can Erin continue to keep one foot in two worlds? For now, her answer is yes… for now.
“I still love that work [at the university],” she admits. “But I’m equally passionate about the cidery… We want to keep introducing more education into the cidery, so in that way, I think my worlds will combine at some point.”
Even with so many paths laid before her, Erin says one thing will always dictate the way they operate: acting as respectful stewards of the land for as long as they occupy it. Environmentalism is not a new trend for the pair, who Erin laughingly admits were arrested years ago protesting a timber sale. It’s a lifelong commitment that’s led them to taking steps like installing solar panels to power much of the farm, reusing lamb wool for mulch to protect seedling trees, converting manure and hay into compost, and much more.
“We get to live here, so we should do the best to treat the land well, with respect and also with joy,” she says. “A big part of having the tasting room on the property is wanting this land to experience joy as well.”
Southern Oregon has suffered through genocide and colonialism, she explains, pointing to atrocities like the Rogue River Wars that nearly decimated local tribes such as the Da-ku-be-te-de people. Through respectful, sustainable, and ongoing efforts to nurture the earth, Erin hopes people may be able to literally taste the joyful land once more. It’s a land she may not have been expecting to occupy, doing work she did not expect to do, but it’s one she now embraces wholeheartedly.
“As we've been talking, I saw a bald eagle fly over,” she says in awe. “That just feels like such a privilege.”
Erin marvels at the possibilities the future holds, even joking about writing a memoir about adjusting to farm life and the unexpected hurdles she faced. “It’s so silly, but there’s way more dirt than I could have ever imagined,” she laughs. “That was a part of my transition to farm life—accepting the dirt and finding the balance.”
Keep up with Erin and Blossom Barn Cidery on Instagram at @blossombarncidery.
What I’m Reading
I recently finished Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry. Two very different books, two worthy reads! I’m just starting The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins and it’s wild so far.
What’s Going On
My book is off to the printers! You can pre-order your copy of The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider: American Ciders for Craft Beer Fans to Explore before its release on September 12. If you’re heading to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this year, keep the afternoon of Thursday, September 21 open for a special beer + cider event at Stem Ciders’ Denver location.
What I’m Making
There are very few foods I absolutely despise, but there are a few: honeydew, cantaloupe, and raw onions. Nothing ruins a pizza, salad, or sandwich faster than biting into a juicy slice of Hell that is a raw onion. But before anyone gets their pants into A rEaL TiZzY about mE bEiNg A bAbY, I’ve starting pickling them with beets and it is GLORIOUS. Consider me (sort of) converted!
Do you know of a woman or non-binary person working in beverage alcohol who hasn’t seen the spotlight—and should? Nominate them for a future feature!
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